CCSS for ELA/Literacy: Application for struggling learners

1. CCSS for ELA/Literacy: Application for struggling learners David Abel, Fellow for Curriculum and Assessment/ELA EngageNY.org

2. Who are we talking about? • Students who are reading two or more grade levels below their current grade level, including, but not limited to: • Students with disabilities • Students with compounded skill deficits • Students living in poverty Engageny.org

3. The impact of not reading on grade level One in six children who are not reading proficiently in Third Grade fail to graduate from High School on time, four times the rate for children with proficient third-grade reading skills Engageny.org

4. The impact of not reading on grade level Only 70 percent of high school students graduate on time with a regular diploma, and fewer than 60 percent of African- American and Latino students do so Approximately 40 percent of high school graduates lack the literacy skills employers seek US dropouts’ literacy skills are lower than most industrialized nations, performing comparably only to Chile, Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia Students who enter ninth grade in the lowest 25 percent of their class are twenty times more likely to drop out than the highest-performing students Engageny.org

5. The impact of not reading on grade level WHY? The student falls behind in one grade only to fall further behind in the next grade because the student isn't given opportunities to acquire content knowledge at the same rate as other students. This gap widens as the student proceeds through his or her school experience, and becomes almost untenable in middle and high school… Engageny.org

6. What must be done The adoption of the CCSS provide an opportunity to hold all students to the same rigorous standards, while allowing for flexibility in terms of how these standards are met and reinforced. Engageny.org

7. Recommended Elements for these Students Guided Reading/Accountable Independent Reading Independent Skills/Comprehension Strategy Instruction with Grade-Level Complex texts CCSS-aligned ELA/Literacy Curriculum, adapted as needed Frequent Opportunities for Formative Assessment Time in the day to overwhelm the problem Engageny.org

8. Recommended Elements for these Students Guided Reading/Accountable Independent Reading Building reading volume is an essential component to developing literacy in students reading below grade level. Students read at a level of comfort and make their own choices regarding texts Engageny.org

9. Recommended Elements for these Students Guided Reading/Accountable Independent Reading Integrating the Reading for Literature and informational text standards into an Accountable Independent Reading program, such as those in the Grade 9 modules 1 and 2, will help students understand the standards in addition to encouraging a focused reading. Engageny.org

10. Recommended Elements for these Students Independent Skills/Comprehension Strategy Instruction with Grade-Level Complex texts Students closely read a short text excerpt as a jumping off point for practice with answering text-dependent questions and receiving differentiated instruction in foundational skills (i.e., phonological awareness, phonics and fluency) Engageny.org

11. Recommended Elements for these Students CCSS Aligned ELA/Literacy Curriculum, adapted as needed Remember! Not reading on grade level does not equate to an inability to think critically, make inferences and employ strategies to assist comprehension. Students can access the text and engage in evidence-based discourse in a variety of ways Engageny.org

12. Recommended Elements for these Students Frequent opportunities for formative assessment. Use short/informal daily assessments as well as more extended formal, standalone assessments Use texts at a variety of complexities will help to differentiate comprehension from mastery of standards Engageny.org

13. Recommended Elements for these Students Time in the day to overwhelm the problem A lot of time in the day for ELA/Literacy Knowledge in the disciplines, academic vocabulary through non-ELA content areas Grade-level meetings of teachers of all subject areas to discuss data and differentiation strategies. Engageny.org

14. Recommended Elements for these Students Time in the day to overwhelm the problem Sharing the responsibility of students' literacy in the entire school building and a volume of reading across subjects and domains is crucial to moving these students to being on track to college and career. Engageny.org

15. Recommended Elements for these Students Time in the day to overwhelm the problem Guided Reading/Accountable Reading: up to 30 minutes a day Integrated skills/comprehension strategy instruction with Grade-level complex texts: 30 minutes a day CCSS Aligned ELA/Literacy Curriculum, adapted as needed: 45-60 minutes a day. Frequent opportunities for formative assessment: daily (short/informal), biweekly (standalone/formal) Engageny.org

16. The challenge and a shared goal This is not easy, but… it is crucial to keep as a shared goal of a class, school and district to be constantly working to close the gap, where it exists, between where students are and where they should be to be on track for college and careers. The intent and purpose of the CCSS for ELA/Literacy is to begin expose ALL kids to rich texts and activities, ideally across all subjects. Engageny.org

17. THANK YOU David Abel dabel@mail.nysed.gov http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/ela_and_struggling_learners_feb_2014_nti.docx Engageny.org